This is the 14th edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for 2019-20 and the second since the announcement of the season restart. With the round of 16 about to begin, we've limited the rankings to the teams still competing.

In this edition, we'll look at each club's most impressive player since play resumed on Aug. 1.

1. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous rank: 6

Scott Laughton has continued to develop offensively after potting a career-high 13 regular-season goals. The 6-foot-1 forward led the Flyers with three goals and five points in round-robin play despite logging just over 14 minutes per contest.

2. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous rank: 8

The Golden Knights went 3-0-0 in round-robin action without Max Pacioretty, largely due to defenseman Shea Theodore's brilliant play. The 24-year-old rearguard recorded two goals and two assists while averaging 24:02 of ice time. He also led the club with 11 shots on goal and paced Vegas' blue-liners with a 62.37% Corsi For rate at five-on-five.

3. Colorado Avalanche

Previous rank: 3

Nathan MacKinnon hasn't shown any rust following the league's long hiatus. The Hart Trophy candidate notched three points in three games and led all forwards while averaging 22:17 of ice time per contest. MacKinnon also set the tone physically with six hits, and Colorado owned a 63.49% share of expected goals with the star forward on the ice at five-on-five.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous rank: 4

Brayden Point picked up the slack with Lightning captain Steven Stamkos out. The 23-year-old pivot shared the team lead with three points in three games, and he was dominant during faceoffs while winning 65.85% of his draws.

5. Boston Bruins

Previous rank: 1

The mighty Bruins are struggling to find their game since returning to action, dropping all three round-robin games while scoring only four goals. Two of those tallies came from 6-foot grinder Chris Wagner, who also led the team with 12 hits and played a penalty-kill role. The Bruins will be in fine form if they receive that type of depth play once their big guns get rolling.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous rank: 10

With 23-year-old Sebastian Aho leading the attack, the Hurricanes' young stars were on full display in their sweep of the New York Rangers. Aho netted three goals, and he ranks second in postseason scoring with an impressive eight points in three games.

7. St. Louis Blues

Previous rank: 2

The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner is picking up where he left off last postseason. The Blues weren't at their best during the round robin, but Ryan O'Reilly was the team's offensive leader with three points, and he remains one of the league's best defensive forwards.

8. Washington Capitals

Previous rank: 7

The Capitals are counting on Braden Holtby to return to his old form this postseason. His regular season was lackluster, and backup Ilya Samsonov isn't with the team. However, Holtby looked sharp during the round robin, posting a .925 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average.

9. Dallas Stars

Previous rank: 9

Miro Heiskanen doesn't get enough attention despite being one of the league's best young defensemen. It's time to start recognizing the 21-year-old Finn as a future Norris Trophy candidate. He led the Stars offensively with four points in three games during the round robin while also playing big minutes and doing an excellent job limiting his opponents' chances.

10. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous rank: 15

If the Blue Jackets go on a deep run, it'll be because of their defense and goaltending. While Seth Jones and Zach Werenski were sensational at slowing down the high-powered Toronto Maple Leafs' attack, Joonas Korpisalo gets the nod here after posting a .956 save percentage and a qualifying-round best 4.43 goals saved above average over four games.

11. New York Islanders

Previous rank: 13

Semyon Varlamov helped provide stability for the Islanders while sharing the crease with Thomas Greiss during the regular season, and the Russian goaltender was the biggest reason New York dispatched the Florida Panthers in four games during the qualifying round. Varlamov allowed only seven goals throughout the series while authoring a .932 save percentage.

12. Vancouver Canucks

Previous rank: 17

Jacob Markstrom was solid in net for the Canucks over four games as they eliminated the Minnesota Wild, but Quinn Hughes has been Vancouver's best player since the restart. The 20-year-old Calder Trophy finalist led his club with five assists and six points in the series while averaging a team-leading over 24 minutes of ice time per game.

13. Calgary Flames

Previous rank: 19

There was some debate about who should start Game 1 for the Flames against the Winnipeg Jets, but there's no doubt who should occupy Calgary's crease now. Cam Talbot was excellent in the qualifying round, surrendering only six goals over four games while posting a .945 save percentage and helping to eliminate the Jets with a 31-save shutout in Game 4.

14. Montreal Canadiens

Previous rank: 24

Speaking of netminders, the Canadiens needed their franchise player to excel if they wanted to shock the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that's exactly what happened. Carey Price finished the series with a .947 save percentage, shutting out his dynamic opposition in the Game 4 clincher and allowing two-plus goals only once over the three previous contests.

15. Arizona Coyotes

Previous rank: 22

The Coyotes managed to squeeze past the Nashville Predators despite being outplayed all series. They moved on largely thanks to Darcy Kuemper and his dazzling .933 save percentage.

16. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous rank: 23

Jonathan Toews is playing like a man on a mission this postseason. "Captain Serious" has been disproving doubters throughout the 2019-20 campaign, and the Blackhawks' leader remains the club's best player since play resumed. He helped Chicago upset the Edmonton Oilers with a team-leading four goals and seven points over four games.

(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)

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This is when the real playoff hockey starts. The round-robin games felt like exhibition contests, and the play-in series didn't offer genuine playoff matchups.

The field is set now, and here are a pair of bets for the beginning of Round 1 on Tuesday.

Calgary Flames (-110) @ Dallas Stars (-120)

A lot of money is coming in on the Flames to win this game and the series, which is an overreaction to their convincing series victory over the Jets. Calgary outscored Winnipeg 16-6 over four games, with Cam Talbot posting a .945 save percentage.

However, the Jets were missing two of their top scorers all series, which contributed to Talbot's suddenly improved performance. As for Calgary's offensive outburst, Winnipeg's defense has been a wreck all season. The Jets were 26th in regular-season expected goals against, and they allowed the second-most high-danger scoring chances.

Now the Stars should give the Flames a wake-up call. Dallas allowed the second-fewest goals in the league this season, and the Stars excelled at suppressing chances. They play a style suited for playoff hockey, and until we see that from the Flames too following their swift elimination last season, Calgary remains a strong fade candidate.

Critics will doubt the Stars because of their trouble scoring this season, but the team's veteran forward group is capable of stepping up when it matters. Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Alexander Radulov were terrific in the playoffs last season, while Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski have a history of elevating their play in the postseason. Ride Dallas at a bargain in Game 1.

Pick: Stars (-120)

Carolina Hurricanes (+115) @ Boston Bruins (-145)

I'm picking the Hurricanes to win this series, but am backing the Bruins to jump out to an early lead and take Game 1. Boston was underwhelming in round-robin play, but the Bruins are incredibly experienced and won't struggle to ramp up the intensity to begin the playoffs.

The well-coached Hurricanes are a bit green, and they'll need to earn their stripes in Game 1. They cruised through the play-in round, and navigating past the Rangers with ease will hurt them a bit here. Carolina is also welcoming Dougie Hamilton back into the lineup for the first time since Jan. 16, and he'll need a game to get back up to speed.

Pick: Bruins (-145)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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The New York Rangers won the draft lottery Monday night and will get the No. 1 selection in the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft.

The Rangers haven't selected at the top of the draft since 1965 when they drafted Andre Veilleux. They picked Kaapo Kakko with the second overall pick in 2019.

Each team participating was given an equal 12.5% chance to win the lottery. The Rangers finished with the league's 18th-best regular-season record at 37-28-5.

QMJHL phenom Alexis Lafreniere is the consensus projected top pick. He was named CHL Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons after accumulating 72 goals and 217 points in 113 games across both campaigns.

Here's the full order for the first 15 picks in the draft:

*Pittsburgh has seven days to decide whether it will keep the 2020 pick or transfer it to the Wild. Minnesota would get the Penguins' 2021 pick if Pittsburgh keeps its 2020 selection.

The Maple Leafs traded their first-round pick to the Hurricanes along with Patrick Marleau last summer. The pick was top-10 protected, which means Carolina now owns the 2020 selection.

Pittsburgh's pick was sent to the Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker prior to this season's trade deadline. The Penguins now get the choice to keep it because the pick fell between Nos. 1-15.

The 2020 NHL Draft is set to take place Oct. 9-10.

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The favorites were tough to bet against in our Western Conference preview, but that couldn't be further from the truth in the East, where the chaos factor is off the charts.

Which giants are poised for an early postseason exit?

Philadelphia Flyers (-240) vs. Montreal Canadiens (+195)

This isn't going to be a walk in the park for the Flyers. The Canadiens are an excellent team at five-on-five - they finished third in expected goals percentage this season - whereas Philadelphia is more middle of the road in that regard. The Flyers have more elite talent, but the Habs make up for that in skill.

Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi give the Canadiens a lot of flexibility down the middle, with Claude Julien able to play around with matchups. The Flyers were a great team during the regular season, but it's going to be tough for them to keep up that level of play against a Montreal side that won't just sit back and let them play with the puck.

Philadelphia is the better team - and has an answer to the Carey Price conundrum in Carter Hart - but this series will be a lot closer than the line suggests, and there's plenty of value in Montreal at this price.

Pick: Canadiens (+195)

Tampa Bay Lightning (-225) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (+185)

Even without the injured Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos, the Lightning should be too much for the Blue Jackets. Any offensive, defensive, or goaltending stat flatters Tampa Bay, which has few weaknesses. However, we've seen this before.

The Blue Jackets are a tenacious, physical, and relentless bunch who are completely committed to the cause. Defensively, they have a proven ability to slow elite offenses and the goaltending to match.

Puck luck will have to be on Columbus' side if it's to win this series, though it'll be interesting to see how quickly Tampa Bay can ramp up its intensity following a lackadaisical round robin. The Lighting are the easy choice if you're picking a winner straight up, but I'm not willing to pay -225 to find out if they're ready to exorcise their playoff demons.

Pick: Blue Jackets (+185)

Washington Capitals (-167) vs. New York Islanders (+140)

Barry Trotz leads his Islanders into battle against his former team, which will know exactly what to expect. The Isles have a clear identity: they suppress chances, block a lot of shots, and make teams fight for every inch. They are deep down the middle and on the blue line, which will be a real test for the Capitals' elite forwards, who were quiet during the round robin.

Still, the Capitals are excellent at driving play and keeping possession. They have an abundance of high-end talent who will ensure the bulk of this series is played in the Islanders' end. It's unlikely that Semyon Varlamov, who's largely sheltered by New York's strong defensive play, is capable of stealing the series from Washington.

John Carlson's health will be a major factor, but all signs point to him being ready for Game 1, in which case Washington - provided Braden Holtby is solid enough between the pipes - will outlast the Islanders in a tight series.

Pick: Capitals (-167)

Boston Bruins (-137) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (+116)

This is going to be a ton of fun. The Bruins are a strong defensive team with talent up front and stellar goaltending. The Hurricanes are an elite offensive team with a stacked blue line that will include Dougie Hamilton. This pair of powerhouses shine both on paper and the ice, but the price feels inflated.

Boston's top line is superior, but Carolina is deeper up and down its lineup. The Hurricanes get greater offensive contributions from their bottom six and have the best defensive corps in the NHL. The Bruins hold the edge in goal, though, and they might actually need to lean on Tuukka Rask more than they'd like to during this series.

This Carolina team is a much stronger and less naive group than the one the Bruins swept last season. It rolled through the New York Rangers in the play-ins while Boston was largely uninspiring, finish 0-3 during round-robin play. Having a healthy Hamilton - the best defenseman in this series - is a huge bonus for the Canes, who have all they need to pull off the upset.

Pick: Hurricanes (+116)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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After failing to make it past the qualifying round, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin knows that he will have work to do in his first full offseason at the helm.

"I think we’re a good team, but there definitely have to be changes,” Guerin said, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "We haven’t had success here. Things need to get better, that’s just the way it is."

The Wild have made the postseason four times in the last five years, but have failed to advance past Round 1 each time. Last week, they lost their qualifying round matchup against the Vancouver Canucks in four games.

In his first season as general manager, Guerin made several big moves, including trading out veteran Jason Zucker to bring in Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Adisson, and a first-round pick. He also fired head coach Bruce Boudreau in his fourth season with the team.

Guerin pointed to the fact that the team has been lacking a true No. 1 center, and says he will do what he can to fulfill that need this offseason.

“Teams don’t trade No. 1 centers. They just don’t,” Guerin said. “Usually it’s got to be done in the free-agent market or through the draft. It’s a position that I think this organization has needed for quite some time, and we’re going to try to address it. It’s not the easiest thing in the world.”

The Wild only have five players on their roster that need new contracts ahead of the 2020-21 season, so Guerin very well may have his hands full in the near future.

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John Tortorella doesn't know when Elvis Merzlikins will return to the Columbus Blue Jackets' lineup.

"He's out. I'm not sure how long," the head coach told assembled media, including team reporter Jeff Svoboda, on Monday.

Tortorella did not elaborate on why the talented rookie goaltender will miss time.

Merzlikins opened Columbus' qualifying-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs as his team's backup netminder but replaced Joonas Korpisalo in Game 3, helping the Blue Jackets erase a three-goal deficit en route to an overtime victory.

Merzlikins then started Game 4, making 49 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss that included a three-goal rally by the Maple Leafs with less than four minutes left in regulation.

Tortorella tabbed Korpisalo as Columbus' starter for Game 5, saying before the contest that Merzlikins was hurt but offering no specifics. Korpisalo ultimately shut out the Maple Leafs to help the Blue Jackets clinch the series.

Merzlikins burst onto the NHL scene in a big way during the regular season. The 26-year-old posted a .923 save percentage and 12.1 goals saved above average in 33 games before the league halted play. He went 13-5-5 with a .935 save percentage and an NHL-best 13.11 GSAA at five-on-five after taking over as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 goalie on Dec. 29.

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The NHL's bubbles remain effective in combatting the coronavirus.

Zero positive COVID-19 tests were recorded in the second week since the return-to-play plan was initiated, the league announced Monday.

More than 7,000 daily tests were conducted on all members of each teams' 52-person traveling group from Aug. 2-8.

The NHL also found no positive test results during the first week of the restart (July 27-1), which followed clean results during the week leading up to the return (July 18-25) as players began reporting to the hub cities.

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella is well-known for his unapologetic attitude, but this time he's showing support for first-year Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe after his squad fell in the qualifying round to the Blue Jackets.

"I just can't get over people ripping Sheldon Keefe and his staff as far as the job he's done with that Maple Leafs team," Tortorella said, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "They have done a terrific job with that team."

"Some of the things I read, some of the things I watched last night ... it just pisses me off for a fellow coach in the league, and I know it's Toronto, a great city, great hockey town, love being here," he added. "But some of the things he's criticized for are beyond belief, and it just shows that people have no clue what's going on in this game. I just want to support him."

After shutting out Toronto on Sunday in the decisive Game 5, many fans and critics began pointing fingers at Keefe and the coaching staff for the loss. The Leafs have now failed to advance past the first round of the postseason since 2004.

The two coaches have a history together before the series. The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted a 19-year-old Keefe in 1999, right as Tortorella came in as head coach for the 2000-01 season. Keefe spent time between the NHL and AHL while playing for Tortorella, totaling 125 NHL games.

Keefe, who took over as head coach of the team in November, recorded a 27-15-5 record before the season's pause on March 12.

Columbus will now take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. Last season, the Jackets shocked the hockey world by sweeping the No. 1 ranked Lightning in the opening round.

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The NHL wasted no time jumping from the play-ins to Round 1, so we won't either.

Let's get right into these Western Conference matchups.

Chicago Blackhawks (+225) @ Vegas Golden Knights (-278)

The Blackhawks did well to upset the Oilers, but Edmonton doesn't hold a candle to Vegas. The Knights are unbelievably deep from top to bottom. They get production from all four lines, are stacked on the back end, and have two goaltenders capable of carrying this team to the Cup.

The Knights are a powerhouse when it comes to puck possession and pose a huge mismatch for the Blackhawks, who will need to play flawless hockey to even stand a chance. The issue for Chicago is that their weaknesses on the back end will be exploited by Vegas' depth - something Edmonton lacked. Corey Crawford is capable of some big nights, but he can't steal a series for the Hawks.

I hate the idea of laying -278, and it's not something I'll be doing personally. However, if you're looking to make a series bet here there's just no justifying a flier on the Hawks.

Pick: Knights (-278)

Arizona Coyotes (+205) @ Colorado Avalanche (-250)

I was on the Coyotes in the first round as one of my favorite series bets, but that was a byproduct of it being a good matchup for them against the Predators. A date with the Avalanche is anything but.

Arizona allowed 2.65 expected goals against per game versus Nashville - only the Blackhawks had a worse mark in the play-in round. Colorado's loaded forward group will feast in this series, while the Coyotes' offensive shortcomings will be amplified against an Avs blue line with no real weakness.

Unless Darcy Kuemper stands on his head - which is certainly possible given the season he's had - there's just no other edge the Coyotes hold here to inspire much confidence they can pull off the upset. The Avalanche have eyes on making a legitimate Cup run and Arizona simply lacks the firepower or depth needed to deny them.

Pick: Avalanche (-250)

Calgary Flames (+100) @ Dallas Stars (-118)

It's hard to put much stock in the Flames' play-in win over the Jets, who were playing significantly shorthanded from the jump. There's nothing about this club that jumps off the page - they do nothing particularly well, and nothing particularly bad. They were a middling team all season and remain average. They may have beat the Stars twice in the regular season, but won't give Dallas too much trouble in this series.

Playoff hockey suits the Stars, who were among the best defensive clubs all season. They have depth and star power at every position, rarely getting the respect they should. Dallas was fifth in the NHL this season in expected goals for percentage at five-on-five - the Jets were dead last - and created the fifth-most high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, while allowing the seventh-fewest over the course of the regular season. The Stars were also second in the NHL at five-on-five save percentage, armed with a pair of excellent goaltenders capable of giving Calgary's scorers fits.

The Flames went out without a whimper in the first round last season and there's little evidence to suggest this year will be any different. The Stars are an absolute bargain at this price, and are my favorite series bet.

Pick: Stars (-118)

Vancouver Canucks (+165) @ St. Louis Blues (-200)

These two teams couldn't be more different. The Blues possess the sort of experience and grit that's really lacking from the Canucks. Vancouver has plenty of star power up front, but their lack of depth at forward and on defense leaves a lot to be desired.

The Blues are also the only one of the top four seeds Vancouver doesn't hold an edge over in goal. Jacob Markstrom is capable of stealing a few games for the Canucks, as we saw against the Wild, but Jordan Binnington can steal an entire series.

Vancouver will be a popular underdog pick in Round 1, but this team has a lot of people fooled. There are too many deficiencies on the roster and to its game, and the Blues are well-equipped to exploit them.

Pick: Blues (-200)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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